d admit,
to soothe the acerbity of his feelings, and confided the care of the
expedition to Neri di Gino and Alamanno Salviati, who, instead of
overrunning the country, advanced near to Lucca. As the weather had
become extremely cold, the forces established themselves at Campannole,
which seemed to the commissaries waste of time; and wishing to draw
nearer the place, the soldiery refused to comply, although the Ten had
insisted they should pitch their camp before the city, and would not
hear of any excuse.

At that time there lived at Florence, a very distinguished architect,
named Filippo di Ser Brunelleschi, of whose works our city is full, and
whose merit was so extraordinary, that after his death his statue
in marble was erected in the principal church, with an inscription
underneath, which still bears testimony to those who read it, of his
great talents. This man pointed out, that in consequence of the relative
positions of the river Serchio and the city of Lucca, the wastes of the
river might be made to inundate the surrounding country, and place the
city in a kind of lake. His reasoning on this point appeared so clear,
and the advantage to the besiegers so obvious and inevitable, that the
Ten were induced to make the experiment. The result, however, was quite
contrary to their expectation, and produced the utmost disorder in
the Florentine camp; for the Lucchese raised high embankments in the
direction of the ditch made by our people to conduct the waters of the
Serchio, and one night cut through the embankment of the ditch itself,
so that having first prevented the water from taking the course
designed by the architect, they now caused it to overflow the plain,
and compelled the Florentines, instead of approaching the city as they
wished, to take a more remote position.

The design having failed, the Council of Ten, who had been re-elected,
sent as commissary, Giovanni Guicciardini, who encamped before Lucca,
with all possible expedition. Pagolo Guinigi finding himself thus
closely pressed, by the advice of Antonio del Rosso, then representative
of the Siennese at Lucca, sent Salvestro Trento and Leonardo Bonvisi to
Milan, to request assistance from the duke; but finding him indisposed
to comply, they secretly engaged, on the part of the people, to deliver
their governor up to him and give him possession of the place; at the
same time intimating, that if he did not immediately follow this advice,
he would not